Hoche and Simplon

In the matter of Hoche and Simplon, Brown J of the Family Court of Australia considered parenting orders concerning two children, B and C. The dispute revolved around the arrangements for the children's living situation, time spent with each parent, and communication and information sharing between the parents.

The court was required to determine the appropriate parenting orders for the children, including whether to discharge previous orders, the nature of parental responsibility, the children's primary residence, and the specific arrangements for the children's time with each parent. Further issues included provisions for communication, the exchange of information regarding the children's schooling and health, and the prevention of denigration of one parent by the other.

The court made orders by consent of the mother and the independent children's lawyer, with the father agreeing to the substance of the orders. These orders discharged all previous parenting orders, established equal shared parental responsibility, and stipulated that the children would live with the father. The mother was granted specific periods of time with the children during school holidays and the summer vacation, with the father responsible for purchasing flight tickets. The orders also included provisions for reasonable communication, mutual notification of changes in address or telephone numbers, and the father authorising the school to provide information to the mother. Crucially, both parents were restrained from denigrating each other in the presence of the children.